The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

Los Angeles — A prolonged labor crisis at West Coast seaports means the critical gateways for international trade have become more like parking lots for massive cargo ships that haul a vast selection of consumer goods from Asia and return there with U.S. exports.

WASHINGTON—The government is readying rules largely favorable to companies that want to use small drones for commercial purposes, according to a federal analysis, potentially leading to widespread flights by unmanned aircraft performing aerial photography, crop monitoring, inspections of cell towers and bridges and other work.

RICHMOND, Virginia—Some schools are getting tougher on e-cigarets, even punishing possession of the devices more harshly than regular cigarets.

Review by Lindsey Bahr / The Associated Press Curious? One of the posters for Fifty Shades of Grey coyly asks.

By Alvin I. Dacanay They’re undeniably Filipino, yet they’re not. Their slanted eyes and pale skin show how different they are, but their accent and speech also show how they are not that different. Their surnames may sound foreign, but everything else about them are not.

Leanne Italie / The Associated Press Grammy newcomer Sam Smith looked dapper in a white bow tie and Madonna rocked one of the awards season’s most eclectic red carpets last February 8 (last February 9 in Manila) in a bedazzled two-corner black hat and burlesque-esque corset with matching thigh-high boots.

By Cherie Mercado Santos Last part At other lookout points—seemingly within an arm’s reach, but in reality, hundreds of feet away—on rugged rocks and, at times, the seemingly smooth walls of steep mountains, you would see black dots, which I mistook for trees, but upon squinting and wearing my correction glasses, I realized they were rock climbers, conquering these steep …

LIVE WELL / CJ Rodriguez First part In today’s fast-paced, digital environment, it is a constant challenge to stay focused on one thing at any given time. Nowhere is this truer than in the workplace. When you sit in for a meeting, your attention may waver with the barrage of text messages and e-mail alerts from one or more devices. …

By Alvin I. Dacanay This month marks the 70th anniversary of one of World War II’s most brutal episodes: the Battle for Manila. In this conflict, which lasted from February 3 to March 3, 1945, United States forces shelled the Philippine capital to compel the remaining Japanese troops in the city to come out of hiding. They did, but at …

Derrik J. Lang / The Associated Press Los Angeles—It seems as though nothing can come between the Wachowskis. When the filmmaker-siblings are asked what incites the biggest spats between the duo best known for writing and directing The Matrix trilogy, Andy and Lana Wachowski provide a non-verbal response: The brother and sister sweetly clasp each other’s hands and tap their …